Page 45 of His Temptation
He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t need more than five minutes. Plus, I may need you to tie my bow tie again. Come on.” He motions his head for me to follow him.
I glance around the office, but anyone still here isn’t paying any attention to me. It would be nice to change in his bathroom with all that space and privacy instead of inside of a tiny stall.
When I walk into his office, he’s sitting at his desk, looking at something on his computer. He nods toward the bathroom without looking up. “Take as long as you need.”
Once inside, I close the door and lock it. I doubt he’s going to come in unannounced, and honestly, I don’t think I’d be all that against it. My body has been burning to be touched byhim again. Literally, all I picture at night is his mouth wrapped around my clit.
Shit, I’m getting wet, just thinking about it.
I hang my dress up and get my work attire off quickly, making sure to fold it nicely. They aren’t the most expensive items, but I’m still not making enough money to not treat my belongings with the utmost care.
My palms are sweating, so I wash my hands and try to cool them down. Then I apply some darker eye makeup and a deep brown lipstick. I add some hair spray to the roots of my hair and shake my fingers through it to create that body that Hailey likes to talk so much about.
I unzip the dress and slide it up my frame, careful not to get any deodorant stains anywhere on it. It is a black dress after all. I love that the dress covers the shoulders and doesn’t cut down in the back too far, so I can wear a nice, supportive bra.
Then I pull out the heels. The sparkly gold heels that Hailey claims are going to give me the confidence I need to hold my head up high, like I belong. I don’t know how she does it, but she can see through me, down to my insecurities.
I slip my feet into the shoes and then take a step back. There is a full-length mirror on the wall to the right. When I get a glimpse of myself, I’m shocked by what I see.
I look like the women in New York City who always look so sophisticated and confident, sparking a stir of envy in my gut. A woman who is tall, proud, and sure of herself. This outfit oozes power and boldness. I love it.
With more confidence than when I walked in, I stroll out of the bathroom with my bag.
“I’m just going to put this bag at my desk, and I’ll be ready,” I tell Lincoln.
As I pass by his desk, I see him do a double take at me and smile to myself.
In the limo, where it’s just the two of us, he remains silent all the way to the event. I’m too busy trying to let my shoes empower me and fend off the nerves, which doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Despite my jitters, I can still tell he’s acting strange.
His driver, George, opens the door for us when we arrive at the restaurant. Lincoln never told me where we were going, but now that I see it, my nerves are kicked into high gear.
Le Bernardin is one of the highest-rated and most expensive restaurants in the city.
I would have never thought I’d get a chance to eat here.
Lincoln leads me in with his hand on my back, but even his touch feels off, like he doesn’t want to be near me. We are led to a table in the corner, where a large table of men and women are mingling together. All of them are dressed to the nines, which makes me so grateful that I decided to go to Hailey for her help.
I may not be sporting as much bling as these ladies, but I can at least hold my own in my dress.
When we get to the table, everyone stands and shakes Lincoln’s hand, never looking my way once. Lincoln holds open a seat forme that I take next to a beautiful blonde, who happens to be sitting next to Roy. I smile at him, and he offers me a wink.
I wait for Lincoln to make introductions, but they never come. He just starts diving right into conversation with others around the table. A waiter comes over and pours me a glass of wine that I never asked for.
From what I can gather, most of the other board members are sitting on one side of the table, and the spouses or dates are on the other. They all start talking business—three men and two women who appear to make up the board and then Lincoln and Roy.
I’m in total shock. It really is like we’re inPretty Woman. At least some of the board members are women, and their dates are on the other side of the table, doing their part and staying out of the way.
“I’ve never been here before. I’m so excited to try the food,” the blonde next to me whispers.
I offer her a smile. “I’m sure it will be great.”
“I’m Iris,” she says. “I’m Roy’s date.”
“I’m Kylie, Lincoln’s assistant.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Assistant? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone bring an assistant to one of these things. Are you supposed to take notes or something?”
I sigh as I look over at Lincoln, who is talking at the moment, then look back at Iris. “Honestly, I have no fucking clue what I’m supposed to be doing right now.”
